The present invention relates to an anti-theft system for securing a removable battery to a power tool intended for retail display and has particular, although not exclusive, relevance to retail displays which are provided at power tool outlets and which customers will often touch in order to feel the tool before making a purchase. Modern power tools tend to be cordless and, therefore, include a removable battery pack. The battery pack is removable so that it can be re-charged independently of the tool which it powers, once flat.
Because the power tool and removable battery are displayed together at the retail outlet, the propensity for theft exists. It is, unfortunately, not uncommon for the battery packs to be removed from the tool and stolen. This is because battery packs tend to “run down” with the use—their efficiency diminishes with time. Because of their chemical composition they are expensive articles and, therefore, highly attractive for thieves.
Although securing the tool to a retail display, for example, is possible, this is a more difficult task with a battery pack. One of the main reasons for this difficulty lies with the inability to screw a retaining item into the battery pack as to do so would potentially destroy the chemical composition of the battery cells required in order to retain and deliver electrical charge to the motor of the tool.
Although the art is replete with anti-theft systems for power tools, they tend to be directed at different aspects to the issue of prevention of theft of a removable battery at retail.
For example EP1,690,648 A has a system in which the user of the tool wears a certification unit as a belt in order that a correlating code be transmitted between the tool and the user's belt in order to confirm authentication and, therefore, possible absence or theft of the tool.
A similar theme is followed in respect of CA 2,283,552 A, in which an activation code and ownership identification system is mounted to a power tool in order to display correct ownership information.
An alternative system is shown in EP 1,455,319 A, in which a tool is provided with control electronics as a transceiver unit cooperating with a remote handheld control unit in order to enable or disable the tool remotely.
None of this art, however, addresses the issue of a removable battery pack possibly being stolen at retail. The concept of a removable battery packs is well-known in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,378 and a U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,110 show typical examples.
The above examples of removable battery packs suffer the disadvantage that, if the tool with its attached battery pack were displayed at retail, the battery pack could be removed from the tool and stolen. In such a case, none of the antitheft systems shown above would be able to cope with recognising that the battery had been stolen.
US 2009 145945 discloses a tool and a battery for use therewith. The battery has a latching system co-operable with the tool in order to releasably retain the battery to the tool.